Electric railway-signal



N M d 1. 6 W. HOLLOWAY, Jr.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

NO. 470,129. Patented Mar. 1 892.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

\VILLIAM I-IOLLOWVAY, JR, OF WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,129, dated March 1, 1892.

Application filed Au t 21, 1891- Serial No. 403,294- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HOLLOWAY, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vayne, in the countyof Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to electric railway-signals, and has for its object the provision of novel, simple, and efficient means whereby the opening of aswitch will operate to close an electric circuit, in which latter is an alarm on the engine of an approaching train when the same has reached a predetermined position on the track in which the switch is located, thus notifying the engineer of the condition of the switch in time to avoid disaster.

My invention consists in the apparatus hereinafter fully described and claimed, and as shown clearly in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a railway provided with the circuits and their appurtenances necessary for the operation of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a front and side elevation of a locomotive adapted for use on the railway illustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of the circuit-closer operated by the switch-rod.

In said drawings, A A represent the railway-rails, secured in the usual manner to the cross-ties a and having the switch-rails B B.

O is the switch-rod, and c the switch-lever, for the movement of the rails last mentioned.

D D represent supplemental rail-sections intermediate the main rails AA and at such distance from the switch as to avoid impossibility of the stopping of a locomotive under ordinary circumstances at a point intermediate-said supplemental rails and the open switch.

E is the electric battery, and e e the main wires leading therefrom, the wire e being connected at its outer end to the rail-section D and the wire 6 being connected'to the contact-point f of the electric switch F. The

wire last mentioned has a branch e connected to the terminal g, and the terminal g has connected thereto a wire G, which at its outer end is connected to the rail-section D, this latter section having also connected thereto a wire f, which wire is connected to the post of the electric switch-lever f. The terminals g g, while being represented as in contact, are of course normally separated and may be so maintained in the manner shown in Fig. l of the drawings or otherwise.

The locomotive H is provided with brushes h h, secured in the insulating-tubes 7L2 7L3, and have connected thereto the wires k, which latter are secured at their other ends to the bell or alarm K in the cab of the engine. Obviously when the engine H has reached such a position on the track as to bring the brushes into contact with the rail-sections D D (the terminals g g having been placed in contact through the impact of the free end of the switch-rod 0 when the switch is opened,)

the circuit composed of the wire e, the railsections D D, the wire G, the terminals g g, the branch 6 and the lower portion of the wire 6 will be closed by the interposition of said brushes, their wires 7.: 7c and the bell K causing the sounding of the latter and resulting in the giving of the desired notice to the engineer of the open condition of the switch. lVhen the switch is closed, the terminals g 9 will of course be out of contact and the bell remain silent, from which fact the engineer knows that he can go ahead safely. If, however, it be found desirable from any cause to stop the locomotive before the same reaches the switch and irrespective of the condition of the same, such an end can be accomplished manually through the medium of the electric switch F, which latter may be located in a watch-box or elsewhere. The lever f being turned so as to bringits outer end into contact with the contact-point f of said switch results in the formation of a circuit through the battery-wire e, the rail-section D, the brush it, the wire it, the bell K, the wire is, the brush h, the rail-section D, the wire f, the switch F, and the wire 6, thus attaining the desired end.

In Fig. 4:, hereinbefore mentioned, the terminals g g are shown as being secured'to an insulating spring-controlled disk I and are bent away from the plane of the face thereof and are out of contact with each other. This disk is sustained on a plunger Z, which slides in a suitable opening in the cylinder L, said plunger being en circled by the spring P, which spring occupies a position intermediate the outer end of the cylinder and the inner side of the disk. W'ith this device if the switchrod 0 be a little long the disk will yield when the terminals have been broughtinto contact and allow the switch to be fully opened. Thus the support for the terminals accommodates itself to variations in the length of the switchrods without necessitating the accurate adjustment of the positions of the terminals relatively thereto, at the same time insuring a close contact of saidterminals.

hat I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. In a railway-signal, the combination of a pair of supplemental rail-sections intermediate the main rails, a battery, circuit connections between said battery and sections, an alarm on the locomotive, brushes on the latter connected with the alarm and for contact with the rail-sections, the terminals g g, sustained on the disk Z, the spring Z encircling the plunger Z of said. disk, the cylinder L, receiving said plunger, and the switch-rod O, the latter at its free end bearing against and operating by its impact to bring said terminals together when the switch is open, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a railway-signal, the combination of the rail-sections D D, a battery, the terminals g g, sustained on the disk l, the spring Z encircling the plunger Z of said disk, theswitch-rod C, the wires e and G, the branch wire 6 the Wire 6, the brushes h 7t, the alarm K, and the wires 70 k, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. I11 a railway-signal, the combination of the rail-sections D D, a battery, the terminals g g, sustained on the disk Z, the spring Z encircling the plunger Z of said disk, the switch-rod C, the wires 6 and G, the branch wire 8 the wire 6, the brushes 7t h, the electric switch F, the wire f, the alarm K, and the wires 7.: 70, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of August, A. D. 1891.

XVILLIAM IIOLTJO\VAY, JR.

Witnesses:

R. DALE SPARHAWK, WM. II. POWELL. 

